Dr. David Chao: “This is a left shoulder subluxation. Unfortunately, it likely means it’s a labral tear, and unfortaunely it means he’s going to need surgery. I’m not a doom and gloom guy and I think the plan is to still try and play him through the season. The Padres knew about this shoulder injury yet they still gave him this lifetime 14-year, $340 million contract. The Padres aren’t dumb, and they knew about it. He’s been playing through it over the years but it comes and goes. My concern now is that it’s come twice in two weeks on fairly routine plays, and one rule of thumb on shoulder sublaxtion instability inssues is that the eaiser it discolates or sublaxes the more often it will happen again and again… He’s a very powerful and violent player, and graceful and a great athlete, but he puts a lot of force on that shoulder. Twice now in just under two weeks he’s had shoulder sublaxation; last time he came back very quickly, but this time it will probably be a little bit longer… Depending on how big the labral tear is, he’ll probbaly get an MRI to see if it got any bigger. If it got bigger my guess is that they shut him down for the season. If it didn’t get bigger, I think they can still rehab and see if they can try and get him through the year. If he has surgery now he’s done for the season, and it is a six month recovery. The hope is that he can effectively play through the season, and then have it done in the offseason. Sorry to share the bad news, I think it is inevitable that surgery is in his future. Let’s hope it’s a surgery that happens in the offseason and that he can return 100% in 2022… The bright side is that it’s not new. The team knew about it and still had confidence in the $340 million contract.” (Full Video Segment Above)
Listen to Dr. David Chao, a former team physician with the San Diego Chargers for 17 years, who has also worked with the Minnesota Twins and Chicago Cubs, break down the Fernando Tatis Jr.'s shoulder injury and try to speculate on what type of fate the Padres star will potentially face in the days after his injury.
The Padres came out after Monday night's game saying Tatis Jr. had suffered a 'subluxation' of his left non-throwing shoulder, which means a partial dislocation. Tatis has dealt with shoulder dislocations in the past, but last night's incident must have been scary as Tatis Jr. corkscrewed himself into the ground after a huge swing, and then fell forward to his knees painfully grasping the shoulder.
Tatis is less than a month removed from signing the third biggest deal in MLB history, inking an unprecedented 14-year deal worth $340 million despite having only appeared in 142 career games before this season. The contract was only dwarfed by the Mike Trout and Mookie Betts deals.
Tatis Jr. is just 22 years old and is the son of former MLB player Fernando Tatis Sr., who was most known for his unique open batting stance, who once famously hit two grand slams in one inning with the St. Louis Cardinals in April of 1999.
Check out the video above as Dr. Chao speculates the best-case and worst-case scenarios for Tatis Jr., as Dr. Chao fears a torn labrum that would require surgery and a six-month rehab.
Colin Cowherd Drops His New NFL Mock Draft After Monday's Sam Darnold Trade
Angels Fans Throw Trash Cans Onto Field to Mock Astros Cheating Scandal
Colin Cowherd: Drafting Mac Jones Would Be Like Buying a Blackberry in 2021
Michael Rapaport on His Viral Beef With Kevin Durant: 'We're Not Friends'
ESPN Parts Ways With Paul Pierce Days After Controversial Instagram Live
Georgia Governor Rips MLB: 'They're Now Part of the Woke Cancel Culture'
Clay Travis: MLB Caved to 'Woke' Pressure Taking All-Star Game from Atlanta
Clay Travis: Sports Media Gave Kevin Durant a Pass For Homophobic Messages